The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times

Chapter 76

When he said he’d be outside, Do-hyeon wondered where exactly he went, only to find him waiting in the hallway.

As soon as he came out, the other called out to him.

‘Was he waiting for me?’

That was the only explanation Do-hyeon could come up with.

Why would someone who always seemed eager to argue with him act this way?

Though uncomfortable, he couldn’t help but feel curious.

Do-hyeon paused for a moment, locking eyes with Zerdic, who furrowed his brows in response.

It was a minor change in expression, yet it looked like a scene from a photoshoot.

‘…He is good-looking.’

Though his face still had a youthful look, considering what Hyun-ah had said, he probably already had many women pining after him.

“…Are you heading to the Salt-Rock Forest?”

A cold voice, ill-suited to such a refined face, slipped out from between his lips.

Do-hyeon replied coolly.

“Yes.”

He knew Zerdic’s situation, but there was no reason to respond politely when the other was being so informal.

Besides, Zerdic was only 19.

At 23, Do-hyeon thought it should be the other way around.

Of course, this was Do-hyeon’s perspective as someone raised in Korea, where Confucian principles were strong.

For Zerdic, as a knight, this might have seemed perfectly normal.

Perhaps Zerdic hadn’t expected such informality, as he hesitated briefly before nodding.

“…I see.”

“Right.”

Silence fell between them, lasting several seconds.

‘What is this?’

If he had nothing else to say, why not just leave?

Why suddenly stop someone and then say nothing?

Do-hyeon, already pressed for time with only ten hours of playtime left, was growing impatient.

As he was about to turn and leave, Zerdic suddenly spoke.

“How do you know about the Abyss? Have you encountered a contractor before- or no, let me rephrase that.”

“?”

“Have you met a contractor whose entire body was consumed by the Abyss? They would have a half-broken horn on their forehead.”

“No.”

Do-hyeon responded immediately.

The only Abyss-related entity he’d encountered was the Ironblooded Dragon.

He had seen a summoner before, but that being wasn’t quite human.

Zerdic, meeting Do-hyeon’s gaze, nodded slowly.

“…I see.”

His cold tone sounded even lower for some reason.

However, when he spoke again, his voice returned to its previous cynical tone.

“Got it. I wish you luck.”

“You too.”

Without waiting for a reply, Zerdic turned and walked away.

‘How anticlimactic.’

Was this all he wanted to ask after waiting for so long?

The thought made Do-hyeon chuckle, though he felt a twinge of unease in the back of his mind.

But that moment passed quickly.

Do-hyeon turned away from Zerdic’s retreating figure and left the hallway.

Zerdic was already gone from his thoughts.

To be precise, there was no room for such distractions.

‘I need to start hunting soon. Ah, wait. Will people crowd me again when I head out? That’d be annoying.’

Do-hyeon had too many eyes on him to worry about trivial matters like Zerdic.

The moment he stepped outside, all attention would focus on him.

He’d drawn all eyes when entering the Grand Temple, so leaving for the field would surely attract a crowd eager to tail him.

It was manageable when there were only a few, but if they kept coming like a chain of sausages, it would be a problem.

There’d be no way to progress with his quests properly under such circumstances.

‘Hmm… What should I do? Isn’t there a better way?’

While he was still hesitating to leave the Grand Temple, deep in thought, a voice interrupted him.

– Master, why aren’t you going out?

“Wait, I’m trying to think.”

– Why?

“It’s too much trouble dealing with everyone. If I avoid them, I’ll look cowardly… Ugh, it’d be perfect if I could hunt unnoticed. If only I had an invisibility skill or something… Huh?”

Do-hyeon froze mid-sentence and whipped his head around.

Jihad flinched in surprise at his sudden movement.

– W-What? Why are you suddenly staring like that?

Jihad looked up at him nervously.

Do-hyeon’s eyes gleamed, but they weren’t focused on Jihad himself- they were fixed on something Jihad was wearing.

Do-hyeon finally spoke.

“You… take that off for a second.”

– …Huh?

Do-hyeon’s eyes were drawn to an enticing object.

It was none other than the Black Goblin Shaman’s robe draped over Jihad.

He remembered the special options attached to the robe.

The robe had two effects.

One was a highly beneficial option that boosted magic-related skills by 6%.

But that wasn’t what caught Do-hyeon’s eye.

‘It had a facial recognition-disruption option, right?’

At the time, he had dismissed the effect and returned the robe to Jihad.

Ironically, now it seemed like the perfect solution to his current problem.

Hadn’t Jihad proven its effectiveness by never once having his identity exposed while wearing it?

The robe’s design, which naturally obscured the wearer’s identity, had played a big role as well.

‘With that… I might be able to slip out unnoticed.’

Once he began hunting in the field, he’d inevitably draw attention, but that was a problem for later.

For now, the robe would make the process much smoother.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and take it off.”

– …What?

Do-hyeon’s words carried a specific intent, but Jihad’s reaction was strange.

As Do-hyeon approached him with firm strides, Jihad shrank back awkwardly and began stepping away.

– Ah, n-no, master. I respect your tastes, but… I’m not really into that kind of thing… wouldn’t all men dislike it? And besides, we’re from different species…”+

“No, what are you talking about? Stop saying weird things and just take it off already.”

– Ugh, ack! No, I can’t!”+

Ignoring Jihad’s nonsensical rambling, Do-hyeon attempted to snatch away his robe.

For some reason, Jihad resisted desperately.

– This… this sort of thing is unacceptable in our genre!

“What nonsense are you spouting? Stop wasting time and hand it over already.”

Even though they were at a high-ranking priest’s quarters, where NPCs of significant status resided, it was impossible that no one would hear such commotion.

“What’s going on? And who are they, anyway?”

“Not sure… looks like the High Priest invited them as esteemed guests.”

“Shouldn’t we stop them? Even if they’re guests, causing a ruckus in the temple is a bit…”

The escalating noise in the hallway began to attract more and more curious onlookers among the temple staff.

Eventually, Elisa, unable to stand by any longer, stepped in to separate them.

– Liza! Liza-Liza!

“Mm?”

Do-hyeon didn’t understand Elisa’s words and didn’t respond, but fortunately, Jihad, who seemed to understand her better than human speech, calmed down.

The moment Elisa finished speaking, Jihad stopped his frantic struggle.

– Ah, I… I see now.

Realizing his misunderstanding, Jihad nodded in acknowledgment.

However, that didn’t mean he was ready to relinquish the robe without a fight.

– They say taking back what you gave is the worst, master.

“Who’s taking anything back? I just need it for a bit.”

– If you take it, you’ll just keep wearing it because it’s useful. What about me? You said it’d be annoying if my identity was revealed.

“Hmm.”

Jihad’s rebuttal was unusually logical.

While the robe could conceal Do-hyeon’s identity, it would also expose Jihad as a never-before-seen black goblin guardian.

That would inevitably draw attention.

Wearing the robe to avoid notice would end up defeating the purpose.

“Well, no choice then. Just stay in the Guardian Room for a while.”

– What? Master, are you abandoning me now?

“Abandoning? What are you talking about? You like it in there. Every time you come out, you look so refreshed.”

– Well, yeah, but going in alone is kind of… Besides, you said I’d grow slower in the Guardian Room.

That was true.

Do-hyeon hadn’t sent Jihad to the Guardian Room and had even returned the robe to him because he prioritized his steady growth.

“If I unsummon him now, the resummon cooldown is 8 hours.”

Canceling summoning every time he visited the city and summoning again afterward left no room to gain experience points.

That’s why most tamers preferred to keep their guardians with them, even in the city.

They also exercised caution while hunting to avoid reverse summoning due to death.

“I don’t get why they designed the system like this.”

It was an obvious system designed to penalize players.

Still, it made sense.

Without such restrictions, more players would exploit guardians, summoning multiple ones carelessly.

This system likely aimed to establish the unique identity of tamers and their guardians.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“Thanks to persistently keeping him around, Jihad is already level 8.”

Beyond experience points, Jihad’s auto-looting ability was truly remarkable.

It was so good that Do-hyeon often felt Jihad justified his presence just with this feature.

Ignoring such a handy ability would be a waste.

“Hmm… what to do.”

– Master, think carefully. There’s a saying, ‘Don’t lose big while chasing small gains.’

“How do you even know that?”

– Live over 150 years, and you learn things.

“Hmm…”

Should he just take the risk and rush to the hunting grounds?

Or accept some losses and unsummon Jihad?

As he weighed unsatisfying options, Do-hyeon’s face grew increasingly contemplative.

– Liza!

“Huh? Elisa, what… Oh? Oh, right, there’s that!”

– Liza-Liza!

– Yeah, that’ll do perfectly.

Suddenly, the two guardians began enthusiastically agreeing with each other.

Curious, Do-hyeon asked, “What? What’s going on?”

– Ah. No need for the robe, master. We’ve found a better solution.

“How?”

Just like that?

Do-hyeon tilted his head in confusion at the sudden suggestion, but Jihad refused to explain.

Seeing is believing.

Instead of words, Jihad chose action, taking something from Elisa and holding it out to Do-hyeon.

“This is… a leash?”

The object was a necklace.

It was the same necklace Elisa wore when the Guardian Room merged.

She used it as a leash during walks, but why was she handing it over now?

“It’s essential for walks, but… it’s not just a leash.”

“Then what is it?”

“You’ll see soon enough.”

Upon receiving the necklace, a message appeared.

[You have acquired ‘Elisa’s Bracelet.’]

[Elisa’s Bracelet]

[Grade: Heroic]

[Description: A bracelet frequently used by Guardian Elisa.

Designed to protect the unusual Elisa from being coveted or kidnapped by others.

Equipped with a ‘Minor Invisibility’ effect, it’s ideal for concealing identities.]

[Usage Restriction: Elisa, Elisa’s Master]

[Durability: 26/50]

[Special Option: Enables the use of ‘Minor Invisibility’ while wearing the bracelet.

The invisibility effect cancels upon contact with anything and is easily detected by abilities like clairvoyance or detection. (Cooldown: 300 seconds)]

[Special Option: Eliminates mana consumption for ‘Minor Invisibility’ use.]

“Whoa.”

The options stunned Do-hyeon, causing him to exclaim aloud.

The stats were absurd.

While ‘Minor Invisibility’ wasn’t extraordinary, its drawbacks were significant.

Its invisibility effect was weaker compared to regular invisibility, and it was easily detectable.

“It’s even caught by an explorer’s basic search skill…”

It was practically guaranteed to be exposed by any decent detection ability.

Moreover, the skill had stricter cancellation triggers, making it awkward to use in combat.

However, the bracelet’s second option fully compensated for those flaws.